If the reports are true, and Zack Greinke is close to a six-year, $147 million deal with the Dodgers, it would set two records:

• It would be the largest contract for a right-hander, topping the six-year, $127.5 million deal that Matt Cain signed with the Giants earlier this year.

• Greinke’s average annual salary of $24.5 million would be the largest for a pitcher in a multi-year deal, ahead of CC Sabathia at $24.4 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Roger Clemens had the largest salary for any player when he made $28 million on a one-year deal with the Yankees in 2007.

Here are five ways the deal impacts the rest of baseball:

1. The Yankees won’t have the game’s largest payroll

The Dodgers will take over that distinction as their payroll definitely will exceed $200 million and could climb as high as $225 million. Ten Dodgers (if Greinke and the team finalize the deal) will make at least $10 million in 2013, including five starting pitchers. The other Dodgers due to make eight figures next season: Adrian Gonzalez ($21 million), Carl Crawford ($20 million), Matt Kemp ($20 million), Josh Beckett ($15.75 million), Hanley Ramirez ($15.5 million), Andre Ethier ($13.5 million), Ted Lilly ($12 million), Chad Billingsley ($11 million) and Clayton Kershaw ($11 million).

2. The National League has passed the American League as the superior league

Of the top seven teams in the majors at this time --- emphasis on this time --- six belong in the NL: San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. Only the Detroit Tigers can crack that group, at least until the off-season settles for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees.

3. Paper favorites

On paper, the addition of Greinke would make the Dodgers the favorites to beat out the World Series champion Giants in the NL West. Of course, the same was said by many after the Dodgers made their mega deal with the Boston Red Sox last summer.

4. Don’t feel sorry for the Rangers

Once again, Texas lost out on another elite pitcher. This happened two years when Cliff Lee left for the Philadelphia Phillies. Expect Texas to push to trade for a starter such as New York Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey or Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher James Shields as well as re-sign Josh Hamilton or try to make a trade for Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton.

On Friday, some reports had the Dodgers ready to pull out of the Greinke chase, believing the Rangers had the advantage. The Rangers, however, must not have offered nearly as much as had been expected. Even with the advantage of Texas not having any state income tax, the Rangers still lost out.

5. The 2013 regular season will open with a bang

The Dodgers are scheduled to play host to the Giants on April 1-3. You can expect ESPN will want to move the April 1 opener to March 31 for its first Sunday night game.

Kershaw, however, figures to make the opening-day start for the Dodgers, spoiling a potential clash of the game’s two highest-paid right-handers between Cain and Greinke.